Peter Ogban and Ignatius Uduk, professors at the University of Calabar and the University of Uyo, respectively, are walking free after court sentences that remanded them in jail.
Both professors were separately involved in manipulation and falsification of results during the 2019 general elections.
This was while they served as returning officers with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to Premium Times, Ogban left Ikot Ekpene Prison in July 2021, after spending only four months in detention.
The State High Court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, had sentenced him to a three-year jail term in March of the same year.
Ogban was found guilty of announcing fake results in favour of Godswill Akpabio, now the Senate President.
This gave Akpabio, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the upper hand over his opposition in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
He did this for poll results in Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo, both local government areas in Akwa Ibom State.
The professor oversaw the addition of 5,000 fake votes to the senate president’s result in the first LGA.
Ogban, who is a professor of soil science, was granted bail by Pius Idiong, a different judge, despite objections from INEC, which prosecuted the case.
Kanu Agabi, the professor’s legal counsel, claimed during the appeal hearing of the case that his client had high blood pressure and tuberculosis.
He stated that his client’s health would deteriorate if he stayed in prison.
This made the court reduce his sentence, giving him the option of a fine or acquittal.
However, the Court of Appeal on April 30, upheld the conviction and three-year jail sentence.
In Uduk’s case, he was also jailed for three years by the State High Court in Uyo.
The court convicted the professor of Human Kinetics of election fraud.
Prosecutors accused Uduk of falsifying and publishing false results.
He did this in favour of Nse Ntuen, another APC member and the lawmaker representing the people of Essien Udim at the State House of Assembly.
Rather than serve his jail term, Uduk was also granted bail by the court and asked to provide the sum of N2 million, present two sureties and submit his international passport.
Uduk was first arraigned in December 2020 and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
He later pleaded for leniency, citing his old age at the time. [FIJ]
